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nimdreams · 25 days ago

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Some hearthome prompts

1. What is your hearthome? Is it a fictional world, a biome, a country, a town, a concept, or something else?

My hearthomes are Gaia from Final Fantasy IX, which is a game, and the Efteling, a dark fantasy theme park in the Netherlands. I used to call dreams a hearthome too, but that is what I am part of and spend a lot of time in and is my actual home, so I am unsure whether to use the hearthome label for that one still. I will talk about the first 2 for these prompts.

2. How did you come to realize you had a hearthome?

When I learned about hearthomes, these places just popped into my head. They are incredibly important to me, they shaped me as a child. I wonder sometimes if other people's hearthome feelings are stronger than mine, but I figured I don't have to be the exact same in experiencing my hearthomes.

3. Is your hearthome tied to any other alterhuman identities you have? If so, did one identity lead to another?

I do have constels connected to both these hearthomes. For Gaia, I have an eidolon stel. Eidolons come from Gaia's crystal, the planet's heart you could say. They are formed by the stories told about them. I think Gaia was my hearthome before I became an eidolon. Final Fantasy is what taught me about eidolons and awakened these experiences within me. For the Efteling I have fairy stels. One dark ride and one animatronic show have fairies in them and I have always felt incredibly connected to these two. That is me in a way. I have been going to the Efteling almost every year of my life, and I was only a few weeks old the first time I went there. I do think the magic of this place became a huge part of me and formed my alterhumanity.

4. Is your hearthome possible to physically visit? If so, have you been, or are you planning to go? If not, do you have any alternative methods of visiting?

I can't physically visit Gaia and can visit the Efteling. I listen to music from both places every single day, they help me regulate. If I was less disabled and lived closer to the Efteling, I would definitely be going a lot more often. I just feel so happy and at peace there. The last decade, I have only been able to visit in a wheelchair though and it is not the same. There are some things I miss out on and that makes me feel very melancholy. Thankfully I have the music and memories. For Gaia, I can play Final Fantasy IX whenever I want to. I own this game on multiple platforms. I don't play it as often as one might suspect though, because listening to the soundtrack already takes me there. That world lives inside me.

5. Write at least one paragraph describing what it’s like to be at your hearthome.

When you enter the Efteling, you enter a land of fairytales. There is a sense of excitement and wonder in the air. Groups of people walk and chatter happily, ready to make the day unforgettable. The fresh Dutch air fills your lungs, and smells of snacks and mysterious perfumes of the different attractions surround you. There is so much to do and see. The attractions take you away to magical lands or give you a thrill, and there is so much attention to detail even when walking from one part of the park to another, to make everything feel fantastical.

Gaia is like a dream, in the way that I find it hard to find the words to describe it and that being in Gaia is one big adventure.

6. Do you feel ties to other living things from your hearthome, such as plants and animals?

For the Efteling, I feel a strong connection to fantasy and imagination which are both fostered here. Perhaps my dream conceptfolk identity was influenced heavily by this place. I know it is not a living thing but still. For Gaia I feel connected to the eidolons and the people here who are my friends. I am not particularly connected to the plants or other creatures.

7. How do you cope with feeling homesick?

I am not sure I feel homesick. Listening to the music of my hearthomes every single day, connects me to these places. My own fantasy and imagination is enough to place me in my hearthomes in my mind and feel happy. If after a longer period that isn't enough, I can simply go to the Efteling or play Final Fantasy IX. I do wish I could physically go to Gaia, but I try not to dwell on that.

8. Say one thing you like about the place you live right now. (Nothing identifying, please be safe!)

No! Okay, well, fine. I love living in the Netherlands, honestly. Our nature, our climate. Heathland is almost another hearthome of mine and we have beautiful heathland! Returning to my country after a vacation always makes me feel so happy to be home again, too. I can truly see the Netherlands' beauty, and I am proud to be part of this earth.

#altherhuman #hearthome #nim musings

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